cheval glass
- noun
- /ʃəˈvæl ˌɡlæs/
- UK
:
espejo de cuerpo entero
- Carrie crossed to the cheval glass in the corner and studied her reflection.
Examples
-
It is revealing that in France in the eighteenth century, a long mirror or cheval glass was called une psyche.
Academic text (1995) -
Abby slid her feet into the shoes and clumped over to the big cheval glass in the corner.
-
She turned to face herself in the cheval glass.
Synonyms
775
1.0
A smooth surface that shows a clear image of things
67
9.9
A mirror used to see your face when dressing
10
8.7
A mirror often used to check your face and clothes
1
8.9
A tall narrow mirror on the wall between two windows
How Tall
Surface Forms
Morphology
cheval + glass
The element 'cheval' is a rare French-derived form in English and not semantically transparent to a B1 learner (it does not contribute a clear meaning like 'tall' or 'tilting'), while 'glass' can mean 'mirror' but does not by itself specify the framed, tilting full-length type. The compound's meaning is lexicalized (a specific kind of dressing mirror) and cannot be reliably derived from the literal meanings of the constituents, so learners who simply know the parts would not predict the full sense.
Etymology
Cheval glass may come from the French word cheval, which means 'horse'. The mirror sits in a frame with legs like a small horse and can be tilted, so cheval glass now means a tall, full-length mirror.